1. Field of Invention
This invention relates to the field of brushes, in particular brushes used to clean and polish teeth while simultaneously stimulating gums.
2. Description of Prior Art
There have been continuing attempts to develop devices to improve oral hygiene. Currently there are several devices which are used to limit various affiliations of the teeth and gums. The most common dental device is the conventional toothbrush. It is well established that a toothbrush when used with a toothpaste or dentifrice helps remove plaque and other detrimental microbes. The head of a toothbrush has several variations. The head design can consist of tufts of bristles spaced over the head of the toothbrush. A typical tuft layout consists of 5 to 11 columns by 2 to 4 rows of tufts. The tip of the tufts creates the brushing plane. The may be several different profiles of the brushing plane. The brushing plane may be of equal length, dome shaped, bi-level or rippled. Originally the bristles were made of horse hair, however the conventional material is now nylon. The diameter of a typical bristle ranges from 0.15 to 0.3 mm. Each bristle gives vertical support to the adjacent bristle, and each tuft gives vertical support to an adjacent tuft. Thinner bristles are softer and more resilient. Shorter bristles are stiffer and have less flexibility The type of brushing plane, bristle diameter and bristle length depends on individual preference and brushing style.
Another common dental tool is a tooth polisher. Tooth polishers may be chemical based (such as a polishing paste) or machine based (such as a polishing tool) or a combination of both. The most commonly used method is polishing paste. The pastes contain an abrasive, water, a humectant, a binder and agents for sweetening, flavoring and color. The abrasive is the most critical ingredient in a polishing paste. There are generally three types of abrasives--superfine, fine and course. The characteristics of the abrasive particles are shaped, hardness, body strength, attrition resistance, and particle size. Application factors are the quantity applied, speed of application and pressure of application. During polishing abrasion occurs by the sharp edges of the particle producing microscopic scratches and grooves along the enamel surface. The rate of abrasion is determined by characteristics of the abrasive particle and the way the particles are applied. The most conventional manner of polishing teeth is through the use of the rubber cup polisher which is connected to a handpiece. The handpiece is used to produce rotational speeds which are controlled by the operator. The rubber cup makes rotational movements to remove stain and plaque from the coronal portion of the tooth. This method of polishing is for cosmetic and not for therapeutic value. A polished tooth surface provides less undulated or creviced areas for plaque attachment and production.
Finally, the stimulation of the gum or gingiva is necessary to increase tissue tone, surface epithelium and circulation of blood. Gum stimulation can be achieved by dental floss and the use of an stimulator rod. Typically, a stimulator rod is located on a toothbrush at the end opposite to the bristles.
A major drawback of the existing art is that each of these preventive measures are only achieved by using a separate tool for an each preventive measure. Attempts to create a low cost, simple apparatus which combines the functions of cleaning, polishing of teeth while stimulating the gums have been unsuccessful. While some of the prior art devices have aspects which may achieve a single preventive measure, these devices often act to limit or defeat the other preventive measures.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,260, it is disclosed that "with thermoplastic elsomeric projections it is possible to polish the without the use of a dentifrice"; however, such a practice will deprive the user from the many benefits that dentifrice provides, including fluoride which is not present in well water in rural areas. Other examples of such proposals are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,027,796; 4,115,893; 4,403,623; 4,081,877; 4,128,910; 3,874,084 and 3,359,588.
A combined toothbrush and gum stimulator device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,288,883. This device has a double wide head which limits its movement in a longitudinal direction only. This characteristic is not recognized as beneficial by some members of the dental profession, since two of the most popular and recommended toothbrushing techniques (Bass and rotary scrub methods) require circular strokes. In this same patent, the inventor advises "Care must be taken to avoid strong horizontal scrubbing motions, which can cause tooth abrasion and gingival trauma".
Similarly U.S. Pat. No. 1,251,250 (Libby) also possesses an abnormally large brush head limiting the brushing motion a user can achieve. While Libby has stimulator rods present for improving gum tone, the device lacks a means for polishing teeth. A further drawback to the Libby device results because the stimulator rods and bristles are of equal heights. Therefore any dentifrice placed on the brush would limit the ability of the stimulator rods to `pierce` the dentifrice and stimulate the gums.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,268,544 (Cates) suffers a similar deficiency. The Cates disclosure has small suction cups level with the end of various bristles. Not only is it unlikely that the suction cup would be unable to pierce the dentifrice, it is further likely that the suction cup would collect the dentifrice which would limit the suction cup's ability to obtain a seal around the gum. Finally, the cups on the Cates device would crack and weaken. This would also limit their ability to massage the gums.
U.S. Pat. No. 301,644 (Thompson) also contains bristles and elastic rods of various heights. However, the function of the rods in the Thompson device is to prevent the outer bristles from bending outward and ultimately breaking off. Thompson does provide that the rods or tongues may be of varying height--either above, equal to or below the height of the bristles. The stimulation of the gums and the application of dentifrice is not taught in the Thompson device. Indeed, the use of dentifrice did not become widely practiced until much later. The admission of Thompson that the tongues could be of any height relative to the bristles points up a lack of understanding of the value of a dentifrice and gum stimulation. Finally, Thompson lacks any provision for tooth polishing.
It should also be emphasized that none of the prior art reveals a brush which combines the cleaning of the teeth and stimulation of the gum with a tooth polisher. Accordingly, for these and other reasons gum stimulators and tooth cleaners and polishers have not been adopted into a single program of personal oral hygiene.